Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Four U.S. Troops Killed in Afghanistan; Ohio Boy Sells Toys to Help Family Through Tough Economic Times; Community Buys In and Saves Cafe

Aired July 20, 2009 - 13:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, as we mentioned, four U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan today, and that raises the total killed to 30 in July alone, the highest since the war began. The death toll for allied troops is also at a record high.

Let's talk more about it with CNN's international security correspondent, Paula Newton. She's in London.

And Paula, it's so hard to talk about a story like this when you have only got numbers, because it really doesn't justify the men and women that are being killed in these wars. They have families, they have loved ones, they have children, and so many people become so desensitized at just a number.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And I think comparatively, in terms of what we have been through in Iraq, you look at the numbers and you think, well, comparatively, but that's just not the way to look at it. And Kyra, now, when we go through this death toll, you know, on paper we had seen this.

I saw this as far back as January and February, generals in the field briefing me, saying, look, we're expecting this spike. But each time it happens, it again causes those same commanders to reassess, at least they tell me, why they're in the field, how they're handling their strategy in Afghanistan.

Key problems still, Kyra, are those IEDs. I went through some anti-IED training at Bagram Air Base a few months ago, and there's only so much that can be done, mainly because the Taliban have been working at this for more than two years, boobytrapping key roads. And this continues to be a huge problem for soldiers on the ground.

PHILLIPS: Well, something that the soldiers are also dealing with, of course, the tremendous problem with the poppy fields in Afghanistan, and the drugs that are not only ravaging that country and the people that live there, but they're coming to the United States. The DEA here now sending more agents over there to try to help in the drug war.

NEWTON: Look, the drug pipeline going from Afghanistan, make no mistake, ends up on the streets of the United States and on the streets of Europe. That is still the key problem, ravaging economies and borders along the way. The problem, Kyra, and what was so shocking to me was we have an offensive going on right now in Helmand, U.S. Marines, and they had basically kicked the Taliban out of a bazaar. It was a drug den.

What I was so struck by was the fact that they were actually processing that drug there. They had very high-grade chemicals, something we wouldn't have seen two or three years ago.

What the U.S. military is now trying to disrupt that production in Afghanistan, and they know it's key. It could be responsible for more than 90 percent, really, of all the heroin on the street today, and that's a staggering amount. At the same time, people there will tell you, Kyra, that they have no choice but to participate in the drug trade because that's their only livelihood. And that's the underlying problem here.

PHILLIPS: And tomorrow we'll be talking more about the drug trade, and also with the head of the DEA on that exact issue.

Paula Newton, thanks.

Well, money is so tight that an Ohio boy is selling his toys just so his family can pay the bills. You're actually going to meet the generous 11-year-old and his dad in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And you're looking at live pictures of a couple Endeavour's astronauts today marking the 40th anniversary of the moon landing with a spacewalk at the International Space Station. That small step for mankind leading them to this moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: As far as state governments are concerned, New Year's Day was July 1st. The new fiscal year, that is. So now we're 20 days into fiscal 2010 and three states haven't passed budgets.

One of those states is Pennsylvania, where the standoff is hitting home for 69,000 state employees. They're not getting paid for time worked after June 30th.

And Virginia might be for lovers, but apparently it isn't for those with sensitive bladders. Starting tonight, the commonwealth will close 18 rest stops to save money. And for those using the facilities at the last minute, workers will allow them to finish their business before the "closed" signs go up.

Good to know.

Both candidates for governor say they will reopen the stops if elected.

And tough economic times inspire an Ohio boy to help, well, one Tonka truck at a time. Daddy's out of work, and so the 11-year-old is selling his own toys to help with the expenses.

It's not the first time Zach McGuire has been generous. He sold Kool-Aid in 2005 to help Katrina victims, and he set up a cocoa stand to help California wildfire victims. Well, the boy's father is touched by his son's generosity, as you can imagine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM MCGUIRE, ZACH'S FATHER: I've prayed to God, let me win the lottery as I'm sure a lot of people do. This is better than the lottery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Zach McGuire and his father join me now live from Toledo.

Zach, Tom, good to see you guys.

T. MCGUIRE: Hello.

PHILLIPS: So Zach, can you hear me OK?

ZACH MCGUIRE, SOLD TOYS TO HELP PARENTS IN ECONOMY: Yes.

PHILLIPS: OK, good.

Hey, look, when dad started going through a hard time with work and you realized things were tough on the family, tell me what you decided to do.

Z. MCGUIRE: I decided to sell my toys to help save the house.

PHILLIPS: And tell me why you picked your toys. Why sell your toys?

Z. MCGUIRE: Because that's the stuff I really don't play with anymore and do anything with.

PHILLIPS: So you're not going to miss them?

Z. MCGUIRE: I'll miss them, but it's...

PHILLIPS: It's what you had to do?

Z. MCGUIRE: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Yes?

So, did dad ever say to you, all right, Zach, times are a little tough right now, we're going to have to cut back on the extra things?

Z. MCGUIRE: No. I don't think he did.

PHILLIPS: He didn't.

So Dad, when you saw what your son was doing, that must have just tore at your heartstrings. T. MCGUIRE: Well, yes, it definitely broke my heart. Zach, he's a wonderful, giving child, and he would give somebody his last dollar, and then try and figure out what he was going to do himself.

And I've been so sick and tired of having to tell my child, no, we can't do this or, no, we can't go there. These economic times are just horrendous for everybody across the country, but Zach, he's always had a high level of responsibility, and he wanted to do something to help out.

So his idea of selling some of his toys that he didn't play with anymore, I thought it would be a good thing for him to learn responsibility and earn some money. I don't want anyone to think that we sold all of Zach's toys. That's not the case.

PHILLIPS: He got to save some of them.

T. MCGUIRE: Yes. Yes, he did.

PHILLIPS: So Zach, where does your sense of compassion come from? You seem to have such a big heart. Where did you learn that?

Z. MCGUIRE: From my mom and dad.

PHILLIPS: Yes? And how did you learn that from mom and dad?

Z. MCGUIRE: Because they have been teaching me to act in a Christian attitude.

PHILLIPS: Oh. And how much money have you made so far by selling your toys?

Z. MCGUIRE: I actually don't know. You would have to ask my dad.

PHILLIPS: Oh, dad, are you the accountant here? And is it a special sale?

T. MCGUIRE: Well, we're not sure of the total dollar amount of the toy sale itself. It was never designed to bring in a lot of money. But I do want to thank everyone from across the country.

We had no idea this was going to get national exposure. And from across...

PHILLIPS: So have people been pitching in from across the country?

T. MCGUIRE: Yes. Yes, they have. And it's been very humbling.

PHILLIPS: Oh my gosh.

T. MCGUIRE: As human beings, we let our pride stand in our way a lot of the time. And I think this is a case where God is working through other people to help us. And sometimes it's hard to receive.

We're used to being the ones that give. And it's very humbling. Very humbling.

PHILLIPS: Oh.

Well, Zach, you know, I'll tell you what, you're getting us all emotional. I can hear all the "ahs" is the newsroom.

You know, Zach, as you look at your dad, and just his reaction and how much he appreciates you, I mean, do you even realize the impact that you're making on the family and all of us and everything that you're doing?

Z. MCGUIRE: Yes.

PHILLIPS: You do?

Z. MCGUIRE: Yes, I do.

PHILLIPS: Does it make you feel good?

Z. MCGUIRE: Yes.

PHILLIPS: So, how do you gather people to come and buy your toys and get them to come see your stash? Have you been calling folks, or going door to door? Or how have you gotten your customers?

Z. MCGUIRE: We set up in the front yard when it's a good day, and in the back and in the garage when it's supposed to rain. To attract them, we have a big sign that's painted white with black letters that says "Toy Sale."

PHILLIPS: Well, right before I'm going to let your dad do the "30 Second Pitch" here, we'll explain to folks about that.

Zach, what is your message to other kids your age that may have a lot of toys and a lot of things to offer up, and your message to other families like yours, too, that are really struggling now in hard economic times? What do you tell them?

Z. MCGUIRE: They could offer to sell their toys like me, or do a small stand of some sort, raise a little money to buy food or...

PHILLIPS: Well, you're one amazing young man, Zach.

So, Dad...

Z. MCGUIRE: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: You are so welcome.

And dad, you know about our "30 Second Pitch." We love giving folks an opportunity to basically give their resume in 30 seconds as they're looking for work. We've done it with all different types of folks here in the United States from vets, to college students, and now talking to you. We found out about you obviously through your son and his efforts.

So you ready to give a "30 Second Pitch?" I know you're in construction work, correct?

T. MCGUIRE: Yes. I'm a carpenter by trade, but I hold a Class A contractor's license here in Toledo, Ohio.

PHILLIPS: OK.

T. MCGUIRE: I've done work outside of Toledo as well.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, why don't you -- we've got your e- mail up. I understand this is a brand new e-mail: hiretommcguire@yahoo.com.

So go ahead and give me your "30 Second Pitch." OK?

T. MCGUIRE: OK.

PHILLIPS: Go for it.

T. MCGUIRE: My name is Thomas McGuire, and I am a licensed carpenter/contractor. I specialize mostly in residential renovation and remodeling, primarily kitchens, basement finishing, with traditional style construction, custom garages, custom decks and additions, and light commercial work on the commercial side of things.

I'm willing to travel outside of the state of Ohio, but I prefer to remain a resident here in Toledo, Ohio.

PHILLIPS: Look at that, right on the button, 30 seconds.

All right.

And Zach, I'm going to give a couple extra seconds.

Tell us why your dad is so wonderful.

Z. MCGUIRE: Just because he's a nice guy and just loves to help people like me.

PHILLIPS: And you love to help him.

Zach and Tom McGuire, what a fabulous family.

Tom, you've got to be so proud.

Zach, we're proud of you.

Thanks, guys.

T. MCGUIRE: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Well, a struggling cafe gets a bailout from customers and the community. Probably not something that you would see at Starbucks, right?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, the recession was grinding them down, but a little New York coffee shop got its fix thanks to caffeine-loving, community-minded locals.

Here's CNN's Allan Chernoff.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It all started with a left-wing radical activist who wanted to create what he calls the anti-Starbucks -- a communal cafe, bookstore, debate parlor and performance space. Vox Pop, he called it, short for "Voice of the People" in Latin.

SANDER HICKS, FOUNDER, VOX POP CAFE: My vision was to create a place that people could come together and voice their opinions, and share and cross-pollinate. And so, you know, across the political spectrum.

CHERNOFF: In one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, Brooklyn's Ditmas Park, Vox Pop was becoming the people's cafe. But just as the recession was taking hold, Sander opened a second location in Manhattan.

HICKS: The recession bit me in the butt. I literally saw the economy come grinding down to a halt in front of me.

CHERNOFF: Enter Debi Ryan, a friend of a friend with a smattering of nonprofit business experience. She quickly discovered well-meaning employees were running Vox Pop into the ground.

DEBI RYAN, GENERAL MANAGER, VOX POP: Somebody ordered a salad, they'd run across for $7. They'd run across the street to the organic market and buy a salad for $9 and come back and sell it. I'm like, OK, there's a problem right there.

CHERNOFF: Debi had the Manhattan cafe closed, yet Vox Pop was $190,000 in debt, behind on rent, taxes, and fines for health code violations.

RYAN: The soundest business decision would have been throw in the towel, file bankruptcy, call it quits.

CHERNOFF (on camera): Instead of a bailout, Vox Pop found its rescue in a buy-in, a community buy-in. The cafe sold stock to its customers for $50 a share and in 10 days raised $64,000.

(voice-over): Nearly 200 people invested to keep their cafe open, families like the Mitchells, who put in more than $1,000.

STAN MITCHELL, VOX POP INVESTOR: What this place provided was unique for the neighborhood.

JOAN ADAMS, VOX POP INVESTOR: We had to think about where we put our money, but that was a no-brainer for us. We believe in what they believe in.

JOAN ADAMS, VOX POP INVESTOR: I consider it a good investment for my neighborhood, for me, for my kid, for my coffee addiction.

CHERNOFF: Shareholders are a long way from seeing a profit. Vox Pop is still paying off debt, but investors say they couldn't be happier because communal capitalism has allowed them to keep the voice of the people alive.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, Brooklyn, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, it may change the way you look at the lunar landscape forever. A look at what Google's doing to mark the moon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN F. KENNEDY, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We choose to go to the moon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL ARMSTRONG, ASTRONAUT: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Apollo 11's crew being honored at the White House today. Former astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins are among those meeting with the president this hour. And these men who braved the dangers of the unknown, landing on the moon 40 years ago today, have a message for him -- let's get to Mars.

So, do you know what other historic event also took place during the moon landing? Buzz Aldrin took communion. At that time, he says he kept quiet about it because he didn't want to detract from other -- well, the bigger picture of the mission itself.

Aldrin, who's a Presbyterian, prepared by having his pastor consecrate a communion wafer and a small vial of wine. He administered communion to himself after the lunar module landed. A little-known footnote to that momentous day.

And just a reminder that you can follow the Apollo 11 mission in real time on Twitter. The project is called "Relive Apollo 11," and it's been put together by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. The profile name is ReliveApollo11 on Twitter.com.

While people were glued to their TV sets to watch Apollo land on the moon, behind the scenes a documentary filmmaker was capturing the intensity of the operation to get there.

Our Don Riddell takes a peek at the restored director's cut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THEO KAMECKE, DIRECTOR, "MOONWALK ONE": I chose myself during the launch to be in launch control, in the firing room. And they even printed up a badge for me, which is Apollo 11 Firing Room Badge Number One, which looks hand-printed because they didn't print any other badges.

DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You were the only civilian there?

KAMECKE: Yes. You know how they say tigers can smell your fear, animals can smell your fear? Well, I smelled fear from all these people. There were hundreds of people in this huge launch control center, and each one of them was scared that it might be his little thing that would go wrong and blow the whole launch. And I've never smelled anything like that since.

RIDDELL: Did you get the sense that they all felt they were making history? Was there that feeling there?

KAMECKE: Everybody knew that. I mean, this was the big one. I was just thinking to myself, you know, some day, somebody's going to ask me what did I feel at this moment? And I was trying to think, what do I feel, because...

RIDDELL: Well, what did you feel?

KAMECKE: ... as you saw this thing rise up and clear the launch pad, there wasn't even any sound yet because it was so far away. It took 15 seconds for the sound to get there.

RIDDELL: Why was it three miles away?

KAMECKE: Well, everything had to be three miles away, everyone, including technicians, because in case it blew up on the launch pad, or shortly after launch, it could throw debris that far away.

RIDDELL: One of the most breathtaking moments of the film is of course the launch, shot from how many different camera angles? And how did you get all that footage?

KAMECKE: Well, that's kind of a funny story. I was looking through one of their technical manuals, and I happened to notice in the specs that there were 240 engineering cameras that were triggered automatically on the launch tower at the time of launch. If nothing blew up and if some hose didn't disconnect properly, they were just going to chuck it out. It was no longer of interest to the technicians.

RIDDELL: Wow.

You chose not really to make a thing of the astronauts themselves. We don't really hear from them in your film. Why was that?

KAMECKE: I didn't want to feature them as heroes. I wanted to tell it like a story told around the campfire. The only people that I ever actually interviewed were the little old ladies that made the spacesuits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "MOONWALK ONE")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, when they're up there in space, you know what parts you've worked on, and you just say, well, I hope that part don't fail, because I would feel it was my fault if it did.

(END VIDEO CLIP, "MOONWALK ONE")

KAMECKE: I was surprised when I went to film there that the spacesuits were all made by little old white-haired ladies using sewing machines that literally dated from the year 1900 because they were so accurate and could be run so slowly.

RIDDELL: Do you think people felt proud of...

(CROSSTALK)

KAMECKE: You know, everyone felt pride, and it didn't have anything to do with anything American, because the people around the world didn't think of this as an American act. They knew it was an American rocket, American astronauts. They just thought of these astronauts as being representatives of them so that they all felt that we stepped on the moon, not just Armstrong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Let's face it, unless you're an astronaut, you will probably never get the chance to fly to the moon, but you can get an interesting look at the lunar landscape with your computer. Chad Meyers, let's talk about what Google is doing now to the moon.

CHAD MEYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Those guys have so much time on their hands.

PHILLIPS: We should have invested in this, by the way, years ago. That's our biggest mistake.

MEYERS: I love those guys. I met them, we went to New York, we talked to them about a lot of things. But now not only Google Earth but now there's Google Moon. You can go on to Google Earth 5.0, download the entire program -- not Google Maps, Google Earth 5.0, and you can get the earth on there and you can somehow, I don't know how. I don't know, Pink Floyd would be very proud, but you can get the dark side of the moon and you can see some of that on the other side.

Every one of the dots here, though, some type of information. Either from a lunar landing, you can see Apollo 14, 11, there's 17 right there. Not going to find 13 on here because it never made it all the way to the moon. We will zoom into a couple things here. We have a little bit of a play model here. We will play this whole thing.

We will play it right down into -- here's the lunar lander, right here, from Apollo 11. It will flatten out, you can see actually -- basically not the lander, obviously, but a model of what the lander was. And then right here are these little symbols. Those are actually panoramic pictures that were taken. There's a little camera right there, you can zoom right down here, this is literally the picture from the moon at the time in color as they brought it back here. There's the camera being taken, here's the shadow of the other astronaut.

Not just for 11, but for 14, 15, 16, 17, then if you go up here to 15, you can actually see, remember that little car they drove around? They drove around in the car on the moon? You can actually see where they put that thing and where the car went. You even have a little bit of a track here onto Google Earth.

PHILLIPS: I thought you were talking about Mr. Magoo there for a minute. You're talking about the spacemobile -- the space truck, the four by four. There's a name for that.

MEYERS: I forget what it was.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll get back to that. Thanks, Chad.

As art imitates his life. His art? Well, let's call it modern lunar. His life, an astronaut.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Unemployment in Michigan tops 15 percent, the highest jobless rate for any state in 25 years. One in every 74 homes there is in foreclosure now. Take a walk through northwest Detroit. You'll find row after row of bank-owned homes, some abandoned, others vandalized. For some there, it may be an upside. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): This house in northwest Detroit recently sold for $7,500. Just $4,000 would have bought you this one right across the street. You may have missed the investment opportunity of a lifetime.

MICHAEL ALEXANDER, PURCHASED SEVERAL HOMES IN DETROIT: We have actually a waiting list of people to rent and to buy.

HARLOW: This man thinks he didn't. Michael Alexander has purchased 250 homes in Detroit, betting the Motor City will rise again.

ALEXANDER: When we find a nice street like this, we try to buy all of the available inventory on the street.

HARLOW (on camera): Why on earth is this a good place to put your money to work? ALEXANDER: Well, that's a good question, and I get asked it a lot. We're buying homes in that particular market range, and we're able to offer them at better prices so, since everyone is going to need a place to live, we're offering value.

HARLOW (voice-over): Alexander's company invests between $10,000 and $20,000 rehabilitating the homes, which they say they've been able to flip for a 20 percent to 30 percent profit. Even with buyers scarce, Alexander says he's been able to rent many of these homes at attractive prices.

But it's far from a safe bet. Home values in Detroit are down 45 percent from their peak in 2005, and the city continues to battle a high crime rate.

ALEXANDER: This house, since we've acquired it, has been broken into. And I didn't know that until just a minute ago when we walked into the kitchen.

HARLOW (on camera): Really?

ALEXANDER: But if you'll turn around, you'll see someone has kicked in this door.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Poppy, that last image of kicking in the door -- are there parts of Detroit that real estate investors say are just too rundown to invest in?

HARLOW: There are. We walked down some of those streets right in the heart of Detroit, places like this, completely abandoned. You see mattresses thrown in there, some squatters, you see rows and rows of foreclosed homes, and that's the problem with Detroit. There might be these pockets of hope and some good investments possibly, but when you look at broader Detroit, you see so many abandoned factories, so many abandoned apartment buildings.

And what that investor that we spent the day with told us, Kyra, it's just not worth his time or money because even if the home is only $1,000, he is never going to find someone to live in it, and that's the big problem. So we posed the question on Facebook, asking people "What do you think? Should we invest in Detroit? Is the city going to rise again?"

Ivan wrote in and said, "The factor that will determine whether this is successful or not is jobs. If Detroit stops losing jobs and some new manufacturing starts up, this could work. If Detroit keeps losing jobs, it won't matter how cheap the houses become." Kyra, when we talk about Michigan, as you said, 15 percent unemployment, but when you talk about the city of Detroit, 23 percent unemployment. Almost a quarter of the population out of work. That's a huge problem, even for the housing market there, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. Even in so many other states, you see the rundown neighborhoods, businesses going out and people losing jobs, and it's continuing around the country. Great reporting. Thanks, Poppy.

The case isn't closed, folks, not even close. The killings of a Florida couple with several special-needs children. The law about to open a new chapter, apparently. The plot about to get thicker.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: No longer on that very short leash. Michael Vick out of the big house and done with house arrest now, too. What's next for America's most famous ex-dog fighter?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We know robbery was one motive, but the law says there is another. We're about to find out more about that murder case in Florida, where a couple with a house full of special needs kids was killed. The sheriff in Escambia County says he plans to question three more persons of interest to make at least one more arrest and tell us about another motive. Byrd and Melissa Billings were shot to death July 9 while nine of their children were at home.

The clock has run out on Michael Vick's sentence. The ex-Atlanta Falcons quarterback released from custody today after doing time for dog fighting. Vick got out of prison in May and spent the last two months on home confinement. He's still got three years on probation.

Vick wants to return to the NFL. The league suspended him indefinitely back in 2007, and the Falcons released him last month. So far, no team's publicly said to be looking to take him on.

A few weeks ago, we reported on Americans going abroad for stem cell therapy that they just can't get here. Since then, patients battling life-threatening diseases have called and e-mailed us. We found more controversial research, more unproven results and more critics.

Here's a follow-up from CNN's Drew Griffin of our special investigations unit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Barbara McKean's workout, yoga, in front of a Wii, may not seem like much until you consider where she was one year ago.

She has COPD, an incurable lung disease that should be killing her. Instead of dying, she says she's getting better, using oxygen only at night now. Even her family physician is amazed. She believes stem cells from her own body are helping her improve.

Barbara McKean is a patient of an American doctor working through this hospital in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Zannos Grekos is a Florida cardiologist who also runs a company called Regenocite Therapeutics. What he is doing cannot be done in the U.S.

DR. ZANNOS GREKOS, REGENOCYTE THERAPEUTICS: These procedures work, and it's substantiated by objective data we are collecting.

GRIFFIN: The procedure? Draw a patient's own blood, send it off to a lab in Israel, where it's transformed into what the company calls "regeneocite." According to the company, the regenocite cells are then reinjected into the body to rebuild damaged areas.

GREKOS: We end up with between 40 to 80 million stem cells, and they also activate them and educate them to want to become the end organ of whatever tissue that we're looking to regenerate.

GRIFFIN: If that sounds impossible, it's because those at the forefront of stem cell research say it is.

DR. IRVING WEISSMAN, PRESIDENT-ELECT, INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR STEM CELL RESEARCH: There is no such cell. There's no cell called a regenocite.

GRIFFIN: Dr. Irving Weissman is president-elect of the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

WEISSMAN: I'm disappointed and shocked that somebody would prey on a family that has an untreatable disease with the promise of a therapy that has no scientific or medical basis.

GRIFFIN: Dr. Greko says he's not conducting any FDA-approved clinical trials. Such trials are usually conducted before treating patients. Too expensive, he says, but he will seek FDA approval by the end of the year.

He also shrugs off criticism of nonbelievers.

GRIFFIN (on camera): Do you think the head of the International Stem Cell Society, research society, and the head of Stanford Medical Center's biology stem cell department is just behind the times?

GREKOS: I think that they just need to be more educated.

GRIFFIN: He conducts information seminars in Florida retirement communities and says over the past 18 months he has treated more than 100 people with various illnesses. He claims 80 percent responded to treatment.

In his seminars, he talks about hopes and possibilities, careful not to promise results.

(on camera): You're treating them, you're not scamming them.

GREKOS: No. No, we're treating them.

GRIFFIN: The FDA has not sanctioned the treatment in the United States because it has yet to be proven safe or even effective in humans.

But that is all science. What's harder to explain is the experience of Barbara, who says the moment she felt her own stem cells injected into her body, she felt healing. BARBARA MCKEAN, STEM CELL THERAPY PATIENT: I'm sitting out in the humidity talking to you. I didn't even step out on this porch before I got my stem cells. Couldn't do it.

GRIFFIN: Drew griffin, CNN, Naples, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHLLIPS: Team Sanchez working hard on the next hour. What have you got, Rick?

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: What do you know about the health care plan in Canada?

PHILLIPS: You know what? A lot of people in Canada think it's a lot better than what we have here.

SANCHEZ: And a lot of people here think it's a joke because apparently people have to wait in line for hours or years or days or...

PHILLIPS: But a lot of people go from here over there to get drugs.

SANCHEZ: That's what's going on right now in this country. It almost seems like some people on one side will tell you the Canadian system is absolutely deplorable, it doesn't work, it's horrible. And others will tell you it's a panacea, the greatest thing in the world. And then you have some people saying the health system we have in this country is the best in the world. Then you have people saying, "We got to take it apart and start all over again because it just doesn't work."

Somewhere, there's got to be some truth. You know what I will do at the top of the show? I will interview the former minister of the Canadian health services and just ask him, what's good, what's bad about your health plan there, Mister? And I'm doing it for you. Because I want you to be informed. Me, too.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rick. We all want better health care. Cheaper, everything, better service, not a long wait.

SANCHEZ: We just want answers. After awhile, you listen to, like, radio stations and you come away going...

PHILLIPS: It's like, what's the right plan? See you, Rick.

You'll hear the names Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin a lot today. Alan Bean, not so much. That's okay. The fourth man to set foot on the moon is content to leave the spotlight to his artwork, as CNN's John Zarrella reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The painting Alan Bean is working on is called "The Spirit of Apollo." ALAN BEAN, ARTIST AND FORMER ASTRONAUT: It's not too good.

ZARRELLA: Bean, 77 years old, ought to know a little something about that spirit. In November, 40 years ago, he became the fourth human to walk on the moon.

BEAN: The earth, the planet, where we came from, North America, where we launched, America that paid for it.

ZARRELLA: The walls in his Houston studio are covered in a history of the Apollo program, done in acrylic paint. A history no other painter could have realistically captured.

BEAN: These paintings are the only paintings in history from anywhere else but this earth. One of mine that's a favorite done years and years ago is called, "That's How It Felt to Walk on the Moon."

ZARRELLA: Bean's love affair with the easel and brush began long before he flew on Apollo 12 with Pete Conrad and Dick Jordan. As a young Navy test pilot, Bean took night school classes. When he left NASA, his hobby became a profession. Painting Apollo was a no- brainer.

BEAN: Got my Apollo badge on...

ZARRELLA: Today, his paintings start at $20,000. Many of his works are on display at the National Air and Space Museum in conjunction with the Apollo 11 anniversary. A coffee table book has just been published, too.

BEAN: This is Gene holding up mankind rock.

ZARRELLA: Bean's paintings are more than just his impressions of the lunar visits. The moon is literally a part of each work of art.

BEAN: That's a piece from my past.

ZARRELLA: Bean took the patches from his moon suit, name tag, Apollo and NASA emblems and ground part of them up. Seems a bit crazy, right?

BEAN: Then it dawned on me, well, they're dirty with moon dust. That is moon dust from the (INAUDIBLE). I have got it.

ZARRELLA: Each painting he sprinkles with a touch of moon dust. For the texture, he takes the hammer he used on the moon and works it into the paint. He uses a moon boot, too.

BEAN: Before I'll paint, I'll make the texture of a moon boot right there. Here's the back of it, here's the tread.

ZARRELLA: When he first started painting, he said some of his Apollo buddies looked at him a little funny. Now, some own his paintings and a piece of the moon.

John Zarrella, CNN at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: You can read all about the 40th anniversary of the moon landing online. Point your browser to CNN.com/moon.

Take a live picture now as we wait -- okay. We are waiting to hear from the president of the United States as he actually met today with the Apollo 11 crewmen and we will take -- actually, we will have that in just a second, I am told. There they are. They told the president they want the next mission to be a dedication to Mars. They met with Barack Obama. Let's go ahead and listen in.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Very rarely do I have such an extraordinary pleasure as I have today to welcome three iconic figures, three genuine American heroes. To have Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin here beside me is just wonderful, and I think that all of us recall the moment in which mankind finally was untethered from this planet and was able to explore the stars, the moment in which we had one of our own step on the moon and leave that imprint that is there to this day.

And it's because of the heroism, the calm under pressure, the grace with which these three gentlemen operated, but also the entire NASA family that was able to -- at great risk, oftentimes, and with a great danger -- was somehow able to lift our psyches, not just here in the United States but around the world. We now have a wonderful NASA administrator and the deputy administrator. We are confident that they are going to be doing everything that they can in the decade to come to continue the inspirational mission of NASA, but I think it's fair to say that the touchstone for excellence in exploration and discovery is always going to be represented by the men of Apollo 11.

And so I'm grateful to them for taking the time to visit with us. The country continues to draw inspiration from what you've done. I should note just personally, I grew up in Hawaii, as many of you know, and I still recall sitting on my grandfather's shoulders when those capsules would land in the Pacific and they would get brought back, and we would go out and we would pretend like they could see us as we were waving at folks coming home. And I remember waving American flags, and my grandfather telling me that the Apollo mission was an example of how Americans can do anything they put their minds to.

I also know that as a consequence of the extraordinary work of NASA generally, that you inspired an entire generation of scientists and engineers, that ended up really sparking the innovation, the drive, the entrepreneurship, the creativity, back here on earth. And I think it's very important for us to constantly remember that NASA was not only about feeding our curiosity, that sense of wonder, but also had extraordinary practical applications.

And one of the things that I have committed to doing as president is making sure that math and science are cool again, and that we once again achieve the goal by 2020 of having the highest college graduation rates of any country on earth, especially in the math and science fields. So I think on this 40th anniversary, we are, all of us, thankful and grateful to all of you for what you've done and we expect that there's, as we speak, another generation of kids out there who are looking up at the sky and are going to be the next Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin. And we want to make sure that NASA is going to be there for them when they want to take their journey. Thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much. Thank you, sir.

OBAMA: Thank you, everybody.

PHILLIPS: The president of the United States with the first astronauts to walk on the moon together there at the White House. It's been 40 years on this day since the Apollo 11 crew made history. That does it for us. Right after the break, Rick Sanchez will take it from here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)